Letter: Choice of death, not firearms, the issue

We all know the firearms to which the editorial refers, unfortunately the editorial fails to note that these firearms are not, by definition, assault rifles. An assault rifle has a selective fire capability. One selection is full automatic. However, this is not the type of rifle being purchased by sportsmen.

By the definition commonly used by reporters and politicians a high capacity magazine holds more than 10 rounds. That would be more than 10 rounds of AK-47 ammunition≠ (about 0.30 caliber) as well as more than 10 rounds of AR-15 ammunition (about 0.22 caliber). In contrast, a shotgun shell with 00 buckshot contains nine 0.33 caliber projectiles. One trigger pull on the so-called assault rifle fires one projectile; one trigger pull on the shotgun launches nine projectiles. That's a nine to one difference for the shotgun.

I have known five murder victims; one was an uncle. Each was a victim of person to person violence by someone who made a choice - death over life. This is the same person to person violence and the same death over life choice that was made in Aurora and Newtown. The issue is choice not firearms or magazines. And, this is the same death over life choice that has, in 40 years, made 54 million children disposable commodities.

As with the five murders, I do not diminish the tragedy, loss and pain in Colorado and Connecticut. Let us, however, consider a disparity of numbers. Deaths by "assault rifle" pale in comparison to death by abortion, yet 54 million deaths warrant little, if any, public outcry.

We live in a society in which life has become disposable. That's a much larger problem than 30 round magazines.